Sofia Martinez
There are many ways to light up a plastic lightsaber. One way is to purchase a plastic lightsaber toy with sound and lights, gut it, and use its parts to power an LED and provide sound. Another way is to use a small flashlight with a button on the side of the body as the base for your lightsaber. You can also use a combination of metal tubes, LED lights, circuit boards, batteries, switches, speakers, and wires to create a lightsaber. To make the blade, you can use a clear polycarbonate tube and sand it to create tiny scratches and abrasions that reflect the light in different directions, making the tube translucent and diffusing the light from the LEDs.
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What You'll Learn
- Sourcing parts: metal tube, plastic blade, LEDs, circuit board, etc
- Assembling the hilt: twisting the top part, prying open, soldering wires
- Powering the lightsaber: connecting LEDs, checking for short circuits, using a reed switch
- Lighting effects: light diffusion, sanding the blade, adding reflectors for colour
- Final touches: painting, adding buttons, grips, and a blade cap
Sourcing parts: metal tube, plastic blade, LEDs, circuit board, etc
To light up your plastic lightsaber, you will need a metal tube, a plastic blade, LEDs, a circuit board, a reed switch, a battery, a speaker, and wire. You may also want to include a puck, depending on the design of your lightsaber.
The metal tube will serve as the hilt of your lightsaber, and should be between 10" and 15" long. If you want a Darth Maul-style lightsaber, you can go for a longer tube of 20" to 22". The plastic blade should be around 36" long, and you will need to cut it to size. You can use a hacksaw or a utility knife for this, but be aware that it can be challenging to get a straight cut with just a utility knife. Sanding the plastic tube with 600-grit sandpaper will help with light distribution and diffusion, making your lightsaber look more realistic.
The LEDs will provide the lighting for your lightsaber. You will need to connect them to a circuit board and a power source, such as a battery. The circuit board will control the lighting effects, such as the ramp-up and ramp-down of the light. You can also configure the look and feel of the light emitted, and even add sound effects.
The reed switch is a magnetically controlled switch that will allow you to turn the lightsaber on and off. It is a fragile part, so be careful when handling it. The battery will provide power to the LEDs and any other electronic components you include. The speaker will allow you to add sound effects to your lightsaber. Finally, the wire will be used to connect all the electronic components together.
You can source these parts from online retailers or hardware stores. Some websites, such as BM Lightsabers, offer high-quality lightsaber components specifically for custom lightsabers.
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Assembling the hilt: twisting the top part, prying open, soldering wires
To assemble the hilt of your lightsaber, you'll need to start by twisting the top part, which is a ring that's usually stuck with some light glue. With a bit of pressure, it should pop off. Be careful not to use too much force, as this could damage the lightsaber.
Once the top ring is removed, you can start prying the lightsaber open. Use pliers or vices to gently work your way down from the top. Take your time with this step, as the more you chip and dent the lightsaber, the less aesthetically pleasing it will be. If you're struggling to pry it open, you may want to try sawing out the bottom part of the hilt first, as this can make it easier to access the internal components.
With the lightsaber open, you can now start soldering the wires. First, tin each wire end, then place them end-to-end and heat them with a soldering iron. Ensure your soldering iron is hot enough—it should be heated to at least 350 degrees, with some people recommending going up to 375 degrees. You'll also want to clean and re-tin the soldering iron regularly.
In addition to soldering, you may want to consider using twisty ties to keep all the wires in the hilt neat and organised. This will help prevent any tangles and ensure the lightsaber functions correctly.
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Powering the lightsaber: connecting LEDs, checking for short circuits, using a reed switch
To power your lightsaber, you will need a few components, including LEDs, a reed switch, a battery, and a microcontroller.
First, connect the LED strip to your microcontroller. Ensure that the wiring for all components is neat and tidy—you can use twisty ties or electrical tape to keep cables organised.
Next, you'll want to attach the reed switch. The reed switch is a magnetically controlled switch that will allow you to turn the lightsaber on and off. It consists of a black plastic enclosure with two metal leads coming off of each side. Position the reed switch so that the metal lead attached to the wire (which is attached to the LED strand) is placed inside the wire holder nearest the LEDs. Tape the reed switch in two spots—around the point where the wire and the reed switch lead are soldered together and around the middle. You may also want to tape the other side if it feels loose. This will help prevent short circuits and ensure that the reed switch is securely anchored to the battery pack.
Before closing up your lightsaber, be sure to check for any short circuits. The circuit has two sides: power and ground. The red wire + positive leg of each LED make up one side, and the black wire + negative leg of each LED make up the other. Ensure that no part of the positive side of the circuit is touching any part of the negative side. If you notice any significant heating up of your project, immediately remove power and check for a short circuit.
Once you've checked for short circuits and ensured that your reed switch is securely attached, you can close up your lightsaber and test it out!
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Lighting effects: light diffusion, sanding the blade, adding reflectors for colour
To create a lightsaber with a bright, well-diffused light, you can use LED strips. First, cut a rectangle of butcher paper or plastic bag material, approximately 26" by 5". This will act as a diffuser, making the LEDs appear as bright, illuminated lines. Wrap the paper around the wire and insert it into the PVC pipe. Connect the LED strip to your microcontroller.
You can further enhance the lighting effects by sanding the blade. This process involves gentle carving and slow, incremental changes to the plastic blade to achieve the desired effect. It's important to take your time and avoid rushing this step, as rushing can result in undesirable chips and dents in the lightsaber.
To add reflectors for colour, you can utilise the RGB (Red, Green, Blue) colour model. This model allows you to create a vast array of colours by mixing different amounts of red, green, and blue light. Each colour component can be adjusted independently, with numbers ranging from 0 (absence of the colour) to 255 (maximum intensity). For example, pure red is represented as (255, 0, 0). You can mix equal amounts of red and green light to create yellow, or combine equal parts of red, green, and blue light to make white.
When customising your lightsaber's colour scheme, you can use an online custom lightsaber builder. This tool enables you to adjust the intensity of each colour component and create your desired shade. You will see a colour wheel displaying the current hue of your lightsaber, which you can modify by clicking and dragging. Additionally, you can enter specific colour codes in the "RGB values" section. Moving the slider to the right increases the intensity of the chosen colour component, while moving it to the left decreases the intensity.
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Final touches: painting, adding buttons, grips, and a blade cap
Final Touches
Painting
There are several ways to paint your lightsaber. You can spray paint it, vinyl wrap it, or manually paint it. One method is to start with a pure white base at the handle and work in layers, glazing from the hilt outwards. You can then add your chosen colour, such as blue or green, to the sides, fading it into the white. This will give the lightsaber a glowing effect.
Adding buttons
You can add buttons for additional functionality.
Grips
You can purchase replacement grips for your lightsaber. Etsy offers T-Track and T-Profile kits with HiBond Tape that customers have praised for their sturdiness.
Blade cap
You can buy a blade cap, or you can make your own by shaping one from plastic or moulding one with clear hot glue. Etsy offers a range of blade caps, including a 1-inch lightsaber accessory blade plug.
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Frequently asked questions
You can light up your plastic lightsaber by inserting a small flashlight, or LED strip, into the hilt. You can also add a reed switch to control whether the lightsaber is on or off.
You will need a metal tube, a plastic blade, and some basic electronics such as an LED, circuit board, battery, and wire. You can also add a speaker and a switch to control sound and light effects.
To make your lightsaber look more realistic, you can sand the plastic tube to create light diffusion and make the lightsaber look less like a flashlight. You can also add a reflector to the tip of the blade to encapsulate the light. Additionally, you can paint the hilt and add details such as buttons and grips to make it look more authentic.
